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Mr and Mrs Dowler had said that they were clinging to the hope that she might still be alive even though common sense told them that she had probably been abducted and murdered.

They had given the interview to mark the six months since Milly's disappearance in the hope that it might lead to a breakthrough in the investigation. It now appears likely that she was abducted and driven the 22 miles to Yateley Heath Forest, near Fleet, Hants, where her body was dumped in trees a short distance from the B3013.

It is too early for police to say where she was killed, or by what means.

The wood is only a short distance from the M3 and A30, two major roads that pass close to where Milly was last seen and then lead south out of the Surrey stockbroker belt and into countryside.

Milly's body was identified using dental records. DNA confirmation is still awaited but Mr Denholm made clear that the hunt for Milly was over and the hunt for her killer had started. He said the discovery of a body now made that task easier.

He said his officers were committed to finding out what had happened to Milly - who was last seen on her way home from school on March 21 - and to bringing her killer or killers to justice.